Security Was Removed From McLelland’s Home

KAUFMAN (CBSDFW.COM) – The CBS 11 News I-Team has been digging into the death of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, and found that the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department removed the deputy guarding his home because McLelland did not think that he needed it, and he did not want to waste taxpayer dollars.

McLelland and his wife lived just outside Forney, in an unincorporated part of Kaufman County. On Sunday afternoon, Forney Mayor Darren Rozell spoke with CBS 11 News. “There really seems to be two overwhelming emotions,” Rozell said. “One is sadness for the family and fear for ourselves. And the other emotion seems to be outrage. How dare this happen in our community. We need to make sure these people are caught.”

Forney has never seen anything like this before. That is why Rozell is trying to calm people’s fears and frustrations by giving residents some insight on the McLelland murders. “It appears to be a targeted attack, because you have, two months ago, the assassination of Assistant D.A. Mark Hasse. Everybody’s familiar with that story now. And now, we have an elected official, the elected D.A. for the entire county, attacked. It just doesn’t appear to be random,” Rozell told CBS 11 News.

CBS 11 News also asked Kaufman County’s Sheriff David Byrnes about a connection between Mark Hasse’s shooting and the McLelland murders. “I can’t say that, no,” Brynes answered. “We have nothing indicating that for sure.” Brynes brushed off the question and refused to comment about the uncovered information having to do with the removal of McLelland’s security detail.

Sources told CBS 11 News that authorities in Kaufman County are reaching out to state legislators, trying to push Gov. Rick Perry to appoint a new district attorney as soon as possible, one person even saying, “We are leaderless.”